Roguelight (PC, 2014)
Graphics-6.5 Sound-6 Control-8 Challenge-6.5 Story-0
Level Design-6.5 Frustration-7.5 Fun-6.5 Originality-5
Overall Score-6.5
+
Interesting use of light sources
Makes fairly good use of the GB limitations
Look up/down smoothly
Various upgrades via a shop
Suicide command (breaks immersion somewhat though)
Mostly satisfying sfx and feedback
Dropped items stay in place (as opposed to disappearing after a few seconds)
Some strategy in approximating the value of each arrow (more important in the beginning) and picking the right upgrades for efficient progress
Ricochet physics
+/-
Rogue-like with randomly generated levels that reset (can't memorize layouts, don't get to keep money after dying and restarting)
Very limited ammo and health
Have to off yourself instead of teleporting back to the beginning to shop (unnecessarily morbid? there could've even been a teleport beacon to let you skip the progressively more easy first levels)
No checkpoints
The initial sense of vulnerability fades quite quickly thanks to all upgrade progress being saved after death and the player quickly becoming too strong for the first few levels
Scarcity of arrows and limited sight in the beginning slows the pacing down considerably while arrows burning out pushes the player to keep moving - a dynamic somewhat similar to sonic (unfortunately these concepts clash a bit until you can see further and even then there are some cheap hits)
An option to toggle the readying of an arrow would've been more comfortable for the player's thumb (though it contributes a bit more to the immersion when you're forced to hold it down)
-
No pause button
Trial & error (hard to detect spikes, spikes in dark areas that do a lot of damage just from walking into them from the side, jumping into enemies you couldn't see while platforming)
Coins dropped by enemies can fly down into spike pits
Can't shoot up- or downwards
Lacking item descriptions in the shop (percentage items, will 'o the wisp)
Some upgrades feel like padding (jump upgrade to counter near pixel perfect jumps, ammo upgrade to counter the very low limit at the beginning etc.)
Regenerating arrows (or being able to re-use shot arrows, or relight burnt out ones) would actually have been preferable to boost the pacing a bit
Somewhat anonymous and primitive art style (looks like early gen GB games - SML1, Tetris etc.)
Same music/mechanics/enemies for the first six levels
Uneven difficulty and points of no return (probably from the random level generation)
Can't cancel purchases while in the shop (or sell older upgrades)
Bat enemy becomes redundant after getting the tough skin upgrade (there's not even knockback from it)
No story?
Repetitive music with short loops (might get better)
Short (seven short levels, one boss)
Sometimes hard to distinguish between spikes and other objects in the semi-dark
Game ends well before the player is fully upgraded
Can't zoom out the full screen mode (4x window with a black frame would've been easier on the eyes)
Level Design-6.5 Frustration-7.5 Fun-6.5 Originality-5
Overall Score-6.5
+
Interesting use of light sources
Makes fairly good use of the GB limitations
Look up/down smoothly
Various upgrades via a shop
Suicide command (breaks immersion somewhat though)
Mostly satisfying sfx and feedback
Dropped items stay in place (as opposed to disappearing after a few seconds)
Some strategy in approximating the value of each arrow (more important in the beginning) and picking the right upgrades for efficient progress
Ricochet physics
+/-
Rogue-like with randomly generated levels that reset (can't memorize layouts, don't get to keep money after dying and restarting)
Very limited ammo and health
Have to off yourself instead of teleporting back to the beginning to shop (unnecessarily morbid? there could've even been a teleport beacon to let you skip the progressively more easy first levels)
No checkpoints
The initial sense of vulnerability fades quite quickly thanks to all upgrade progress being saved after death and the player quickly becoming too strong for the first few levels
Scarcity of arrows and limited sight in the beginning slows the pacing down considerably while arrows burning out pushes the player to keep moving - a dynamic somewhat similar to sonic (unfortunately these concepts clash a bit until you can see further and even then there are some cheap hits)
An option to toggle the readying of an arrow would've been more comfortable for the player's thumb (though it contributes a bit more to the immersion when you're forced to hold it down)
-
No pause button
Trial & error (hard to detect spikes, spikes in dark areas that do a lot of damage just from walking into them from the side, jumping into enemies you couldn't see while platforming)
Coins dropped by enemies can fly down into spike pits
Can't shoot up- or downwards
Lacking item descriptions in the shop (percentage items, will 'o the wisp)
Some upgrades feel like padding (jump upgrade to counter near pixel perfect jumps, ammo upgrade to counter the very low limit at the beginning etc.)
Regenerating arrows (or being able to re-use shot arrows, or relight burnt out ones) would actually have been preferable to boost the pacing a bit
Somewhat anonymous and primitive art style (looks like early gen GB games - SML1, Tetris etc.)
Same music/mechanics/enemies for the first six levels
Uneven difficulty and points of no return (probably from the random level generation)
Can't cancel purchases while in the shop (or sell older upgrades)
Bat enemy becomes redundant after getting the tough skin upgrade (there's not even knockback from it)
No story?
Repetitive music with short loops (might get better)
Short (seven short levels, one boss)
Sometimes hard to distinguish between spikes and other objects in the semi-dark
Game ends well before the player is fully upgraded
Can't zoom out the full screen mode (4x window with a black frame would've been easier on the eyes)